Crockett thrives as Virginia's new closer

Former Poquoson standout provides stabilizing presence

As he toed the rubber April 8 against Wake Forest, Virginia closer Kyle Crockett realized his back and left arm actually felt better than it did the day before when he was also on the Davenport Field mound — not bad for a guy who was in the midst of his fifth appearance in seven days.

Crockett has moved seamlessly this season into a new role in a U.Va uniform. Just like in previous seasons, it hasn't taken him long to find success in whatever role he's thrown in.

"It's kind of all fallen into place," said Crockett, a Poquoson High graduate who is tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with seven saves, including a school-record run April 2-8 when he had five saves in consecutive games.

Though it may not have been exactly the kind of thing Crockett envisioned for himself as a junior at U.Va. (32-6, 13-5 ACC), he's become the dependable commodity Coach Brian O'Connor was hoping to have at the back end of his bullpen.

"With the youth that we have on our pitching staff this year, I just felt that at the beginning of the year, it was going to be crucial for us to have somebody at the end of the ballgame that has experience," O'Connor said.

As U.Va.'s most experienced returning pitcher, Crockett fit that description.

Yet, plugging Crockett in as the closer was a departure from the original plan. At the end of last season, O'Connor talked to Crockett about getting himself ready to move up to the starting rotation.

He'd only started three times in his first 59 appearances for U.Va., but he established himself last season as the ACC's best left-handed relief pitcher while working in middle relief and setup roles. He put together a 5-2 record with a 2.25 earned-run average, 57 strikeouts and 12 walks in 60 innings pitched.

Last summer, he got an unexpected taste of what it's like to be a closer in the prestigious Cape Cod League. While playing for Orleans (Mass.), he was put into the closer role after the original closer developed shoulder tendinitis.

Crockett earned a spot in the league all-star game. He finished second in the league with six saves to go along with an ERA of 0.75, 28 strikeouts and just three walks in 24 innings pitched.

"As a closer this past summer, I was able to pitch a lot, so I enjoyed that," said Crockett, who improved to 3-0 this season with Wednesday's 10-9 victory over Old Dominion with a 0.67 ERA, 37 strikeouts and just one walk in 29 innings pitched. "Once (U.Va.'s coaches) said they were going to start using me as a closer, I was pretty excited."

Still, he didn't even know he was going to be a closer at U.Va. until late winter. In the fall, he worked on proving he could be a starter, but his lower back "locked up" during workouts. It wasn't until a few weeks before the season he found he was going to be a closer.

"Unfortunately, we live in a society nowadays where we feel like people should have input into what their role is and what they do, rather than the coach saying, 'This is what's best for the team,' " O'Connor said. "Kyle is very refreshing. … Since the day he got here through today, (he) has been a complete team guy."

Crockett's best asset as a closer might be that he doesn't give his coach heartburn, as evidenced by the .194 batting average against him this season and the one home run he's surrendered in 121 career innings pitched.

In the stretch of five saves in consecutive games (one at Liberty, one against Virginia Military Institute and three against Wake Forest), he pitched a combined 5 1/3 innings and gave up one hit and no runs while striking out nine. Those performances came on the heels of him pitching March 29-31 in three consecutive games against Miami, which featured him throwing four combined scoreless innings.

At the end of the season, he's sure to get some draft looks from major-league teams. Until then, he's doing his best to remain as focused as possible while on the mound.

"People ask me what I'm thinking about when I'm out there on the mound," Crockett said. "I always tell them I'm not thinking about anything. I think that's where some people can get in their own heads and start doubting themselves."